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Jaw Disorders

The jaw joints, or temporomandibular (TM) joints, connect the lower jawbone to the skull. These flexible joints are used more than any other joint in the body. They allow the jaw to open and close in a wide variety of movements, for talking, chewing, swallowing, and other functions. Many people have dysfunction and pain in and around the jaw joints at some point during their lives. Collectively termed temporomandibular disorders, these joint and muscle problems are complex and not completely understood. As a result, proper diagnosis and treatment of TM disorders are still evolving.

Symptoms of TM disorders are usually mild, temporary and typically do not get worse with time. Symptoms include:

• Pain, usually on one side of the jaw, but can develop on both sides. The onset of pain can occur gradually or suddenly, as when biting down on something hard or following a blow to the jaw.

• Joint pain in the muscles of the face, ear, head, neck, or shoulders. Pain can occur when the jaw is moving, as when opening the mouth widely, chewing, or yawning.

• Clicking, popping, cracking, or grating that is painful and occurs when opening the jaw.

• The jaw locking in an open or closed position or not opening wide (disc displacement). If the jaw locks for more than a few moments, a muscle spasm usually follows.

At Spinetastik: The Future of Chiropractic, we utilize a set treatment protocol using the “Slenderlign” computerized Adjusting instrument to aid in the correction of such disorder.

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